Highly Futuristic // ARC REVIEW: Redux by A.L.Davroe

Title: Redux (The Tricksters #2)

Author: A.L.Davroe

Publication Date: March 21st 2017

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2/2 of the Tricksters Duology

I Got A Copy Through: Entangled Teen via NetGalley (THANK YOU!)

Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books || Kobo 

Blurb Description: The domed city of Evanescence is in ruins. With nowhere to go, prodigy hacker Ellani “Ella” Drexel and a small band of survivors flee to the Undertunnel below their city.To escape the wasteland she unknowingly created.But sanctuary is hard to find. With malfunctioning androids and angry rebels at their backs, the group hopes to press on for the neighboring city of Cadence. But Ella’s chosen path is challenging…life-threatening, even. Worse, the boy she loves is acting distant, and not at all like the person she first met in Nexis.But then Ella learns a secret…and it changes everything.Ella knows she needs to turn back and make a stand to reclaim her home. She’s determined to bring a new—and better—life to all who’ve suffered.Or die trying. 

Nexis, the first book in this Duology, was one of my first five star reads of 2016. It was brilliantly crafted in a futuristic world and the ending had me sitting in the same spot, slackjawed and ready for book two already.

For some reason, despite getting approved to read an eARC of Redux on NetGalley, it took me a really long while to tap on the book on my Kindle app and start reading.

It's been a year and a half and well, apart from the basic story and the main characters, I'd forgotten everyone else. This is why the first 10% of the book saved me as it refreshed my knowledge about this series.

In simple short words, Nexis was better than Redux.

After the first ten percent that functioned like a recap to me, I was so confused by the world. Without a map or clear descriptions that functioned like a map, I had this feeling of being lost in my bookish surroundings that I couldn't take. I had no idea what the plan was - was it to try and go to the NEXT dome (I remember that being the plan from the last book?) And if so, why did they never try and only wanted to go back into the dome the destroyed? How many undertunnels are there? What's the plan? I spent most of the book wondering what everybody in it was doing, to be honest.

I can't review this book without spoilers, BUT, despite the death of hundreds of thousands of people at the hands of the “Tricksters” I felt not even a single amount of GUILT or I'M WRONG WHAT CAN I DO from any one of them. They pretty much had made peace with their actions, damn the consequences and moved forward, and were STILL TRUSTED to be leaders of the Rebellion. Or the refugees. I don't know how they were and how NOBODY blamed them but it made the book feel artificial.

Let's also talk about Ella's parents. They were at the top of my list of people who didn't CARE that thousands had died, their “uploaded minds” merely saying “Oh, well, that was only a slight miscalculation” They used their own DAUGHTER to give a face to Rebellion without so much as ASKING her and then made her a Saviour. SIGH.

Apart from that, there were two death scenes where a certain somebody ALMOST died but HAHA HE DIDN'T BECAUSE HE'S THE MAIN CHARACTER AND HOW COULD HE?

I did have a lot of problems with this book, but there was a lot to like too. I still loved the sheer genius of the technology that made up Evanescence. It takes a SPECTACULAR mind to come up with ideas like the one in the book and I loved it. There were also certain gritty and romantic twists that I couldn't see coming but loved when they did because they added a lot to the book.

Mostly, I just wish this book had been better. I wish Ella's parents had asked and not attempt to brainwash an entire population. I wish Ella's wasn't such a NOBLE person and that she wasn't portrayed as a Saint/ Saviour but more like a normal girl.

I love this series, and I definitely recommend it. I just wish that certain elements were better executed. 3 stars. 

I write both YA and adult speculative fiction. I'm represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency. I've written FOR YOUR HEART; CITY STEAM; NEXIS; and M.I.A.. My latest novel, REDUX (YA science-fiction) is coming out with Entangled Teen in March 2017.

By day, I live in Connecticut with my feline hench-creatures and I make cheese. I'm a terrible blusher, have a weak spot for cuddly animals, love Laffy Taffy and Cadbury MiniEggs, and I'm a huge advocate of alternative healing methods. I wear purple shoes and corsets...Though not always in the same ensemble. I'm a Capricorn, a Hufflepuff, and a few nuggets short of a Happy Meal. I also suffer from Resting Bitchface Syndrome (RBS), so even though I might look like I'll tie you in a knot if you come near me, I'm more afraid of you than you are of me (see blushing problem above). 

 What do you think about Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality Games? 

If you could have ANY piece to future technology (and let's assume everything HAS been invented) what kind of device would you pick?

I can't wait to hear from all of you!

Subtle, Elegant, Ingenious // REVIEW: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: September 18th 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1/4 of the Raven Cycle
I Got A Copy Through: Scholastic India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Wordery || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Barnes & Noble || Google Play Store || The Book Depository

Blurb Description: Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Gansey is different. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been told by her psychic family that she will kill her true love. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore. 

This is my re-read of The Raven Boys, because I FINALLY got the opportunity from the lovely folks over at Scholastic India, to read the rest of the series, and it is SO MUCH BETTER than I remember it being!

I initially read The Raven Boys two-three years ago, and I simply didn’t fully appreciate the eccentricities and personalities of each and every character in the book. All four boys, Blue, and Blue’s family are SO WELL DEVELOPED it’s hard to imagine them as anything less than real, sentient beings over fictional characters.

This is probably because, this time round, I actually paid attention to the details and all of the MAGIC in the air around the Raven Boys instead of simply sitting around and wondering if Gansey was Blue’s True Love, and how he would somehow survive to give them the fairy tale happy ending.

But first, what is The Raven Boys all about?

Blue Sargent has been told, since the day she was born, that is she kisses her true love, she will kill him. A non-psychic in a family filled to the brim with them, Blue is on the search for irrefutable proof that the magic that has eluded her all her life is indeed, real.

Gansey, Adam, Noah and Ronan are four boys – four troublesome broken Raven Boys – on a mission. They’re not just regular rich private school brats, but seek to wake up an energy filled line – a ley line – and find the ancient Welsh King Glendower, who has been buried on the line, who legend says will bestow a favour on the one who wakes him.

As they boys bring Blue into the fold, none of them can deny the sensation that something bigger than them is starting, and that they’re in the centre of it all.

Truth be told, I have fallen ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE with this realistic, magic filled book!

I loved the problems that each of the Raven Boys faced internally – their shortcomings and their flaws – and how despite all their differences they managed to fit together like pieces in a puzzle. I loved the undercurrent of magic that followed every word and every scene in this book – I could tell that there was so much more going on than Blue and her Raven Boys knew at the moment – and I am so excited to learn about it all.

Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is subtle, elegant and shows the depths of her imagination, and The Raven Boys is an ingenious book with the power to make magic feel real.

I will currently cut short my ramblings and run away to read The Dream Thieves. 

HAVE YOU READ THE RAVEN CYCLE? Who is your favourite Raven Boy?

Have you read any other Maggie Stiefvater books? Which books of her should I put on my immediate TBR? 

What are your favourite books on magical realism? 

I can't wait to hear your thoughts

Sunday Street Team November'16 - Timekeeper by Tara Sim - Review + Giveaway

I'm so SO excited to host my first ever Sunday Street Team post this month. This month's Sunday Street Team book is Tara Sim's BEAUTIFUL debut novel - Timekeeper. 

Title: Timekeeper (Timekeeper #1)

Author: Tara Sim
Publication Date: November 8th 2016
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1/3 of The Timekeeper Trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: Sky Pony Press via Edelweiss (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Wordery || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Google Play Books

Blurb Description: In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.
It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors.
And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve.
But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever.
The stunning first novel in a new trilogy by debut author Tara Sim, Timekeeper is perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Victoria Schwab.

I haven’t read a steampunk novel in FOREVER. So much so, that I remember that the last time I was reviewing a steampunk novel, I remember saying the EXACT same thing!

In Short, Timekeeper was an interesting, slow-paced and romantic read that had me hooked from start to finish.

Daniel Hart is the youngest mechanic who has ever been inducted into the Mechanic’s Union. Set in 17^th century London, Clocks around the world connect with each other to give the world Time. Without the clocks, the world will be stuck in an endless time loop, repeating the same minute over and over again for eternity.

When a clock malfunctions, or needs upkeep, the Mechanics step in, and using their special ability to sense time, they fix all problems, except for one:

Three years ago, the city of Maldon Stopped. For three years, its citizens have lived in a time loop, not aging, unable to leave the city limits, reliving a minute at a time. And Daniel Hart’s father is one of those people.

With a mother that blames him for his father’s entrapment, a strange apprentice in the clock tower that has Danny thinking about more romantic things than fixing gears, and attacks on clock towers everywhere, there is no more dangerous time than now for a mechanic to fall in love.

Timekeeper was such a DIFFERENT story. I adored the romance between Danny and Colton/ Brandon. It was a young, forbidden romance, with both of them constantly figuring out how they could work despite all the things working against them.

I loved that the Mechanic’s Union had such a great part in this, including the other Mechanics like Matthias, Lucas and Daphne. I ADORED Danny’s best friend, Cassie, with her normal car mechanic skills and sound advice, romantic or otherwise.

The dialogue was slightly awkward in the last few scenes, especially during the reunion of a certain few people. Moreover, there were all these POV changes to THE GODS (?) that were strange. I can only imagine that they will be making an appearance in the next few books, but it was still so strange to switch from steampunk 1800’s London to a God’s Story, even if it was about Time.

All in all, I would DEFINITELY recommend Timekeeper for a different, romantic read!

Tara Sim can typically be found wandering the wilds of the Bay Area, California. When she’s not chasing cats or lurking in bookstores, she writes books about magic, clocks, and explosives. TIMEKEEPER is her debut novel. Follow her on Twitter at @EachStarAWorld, or check out her website tarasim.com for fun extras.

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What was the last Steampunk Novel that you read? What was the last LGBTQIA Book you read? 

Would you read Timekeeper?